Editing Siân Phillips (section)

==Career==
===Early career===
Phillips began acting professionally at the age of 11 with the [[BBC Home Service|Home Service]] of BBC Radio in Wales. At the same age she won her first speech-and-drama award for her performance at the [[National Eisteddfod]] held at [[Llandybïe]] in 1944, where she and a school friend played the parts of two elderly men in a dramatic duologue.

She made her first British television appearance at 17 and won a Welsh acting award at 18. In 1953, while still a student at University College, Cardiff she worked as a newsreader and announcer for the BBC in Wales and toured Wales in Welsh-language productions of the [[Welsh Arts Council]].<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1"/><ref name=":1" />

From 1953 to 1955, Phillips was a member of the [[BBC Repertory Company]] and the [[National Theatre Company]] and toured Wales performing Welsh and English plays for the Welsh Arts Council. For the [[Nottingham Playhouse]] in 1958, she was Masha in ''Three Sisters''. She performed as Princess Siwan in [[Saunders Lewis]]'s ''[[Siwan (play)|The King's Daughter]]'' at the [[Hampstead]] Theatre Club in 1959 and as Katherine in ''[[Taming of the Shrew]]'' for the [[Oxford Playhouse]] in 1960. She was Princess Siwan again in the BBC's production of ''Siwan: The King's Daughter'' alongside [[Peter O'Toole]] with Emyr Humphrys as producer. It was broadcast on BBC One (Wales only) on 1 March 1960.<ref>"Siwan: The King's Daughter" in BBC One at www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2011.</ref> From October 1958 to April 1959, she was [[Master of ceremonies|compere]] of the ''Land of Song'' (''Gwlad y Gân'') monthly programme at TWW (Television Wales and the West) Channel 10 with baritone [[Ivor Emmanuel]].<ref>"TWW (Television Wales and the West) Channel 10" at [www.78rpm.co.uk]. Retrieved 24 December 2011.</ref>

She made her first appearance on the London stage in 1957 when she appeared in [[Hermann Sudermann]]'s ''Magda'' for RADA.<ref>"University of Kent: Special Collections Theatre Collections" at www.kent.ac.uk. Retrieved 12 December 2011.</ref> ''Magda'', about an opera diva, was her first real success in London. The play did well and benefited her career greatly; although she was only a student at the time, she was the first since [[Sarah Bernhardt]] to play the role.<ref>Terri Paddock, "20 Questions With... Sian Phillips" in ''Whats On Stage'' (15 March 2004) at www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 16 December 2011.</ref>

In 1957, Phillips performed the title role in Ibsen's ''Hedda Gabler''.<ref name=":3">"V&A Search the Collections: Sian Phillips in The Holiday" at collections.vam.co.uk. Retrieved 18 December 2011.</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref>"Sian Phillips: Milestones" in Turner Classic Movies in www.tcm.com. Retrieved 18 December 2011</ref> West End opening at The Duke of York's Theatre, December 3, 1957, with [[Fredrik Ohlsson]] as ''Tesman.'' They also performed at Det Nye Teatret in Oslo and at The Vanbrugh, [[RADA]] .
Many sources consider this her London stage debut but she actually did ''Magda'' before ''Hedda Gabler''.<ref name=":2" /> In September 1958, she was performing as Margaret Muir in John Hall's ''The Holiday'' at [[Oxford]] New Theatre.<ref name=":3" />

In May 1958, Phillips performed as Joan in a production of Shaw's ''[[Saint Joan (play)|Saint Joan]]'' by Bryan Bailey, at the [[Belgrade Theatre]] in Coventry, which had opened just six weeks before. An observer described her performance: "Sian Phillips' portrayal of Joan defies the law of averages, since, after seeing Siobhan McKenna in the 1955 Arts Theatre production, I reckoned it impossible to equal within half a century. Like the Irish girl, the Welsh girl is perfect.... 'This girl doesn't act Joan – she is Joan.' In short, perfection."<ref>Mervyn Jones, "Socialist Coventry Scores Another Triumph" ''Tribune Magazine'' (23 May 1958). Retrieved from archive.tribunemagazine.co.uk, 13 December 2011.</ref>

She was Julia in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1960–1961 version of ''[[The Duchess of Malfi]]''.<ref name=":0" /> Her Royal Shakespeare Company performances are:
*Julia in ''The Duchess of Malfi'': at the [[Shakespeare Memorial Theatre]] (Stratford, 30 November 1960, opening night).
*Julia in ''The Duchess of Malfi'': at the [[Aldwych Theatre]] (London, 15 December 1960, opening night)
*Bertha in ''[[Ondine (play)|Ondine]]'': at the Aldwych Theatre (London, 12 January 1961, opening night)
*[[Miss Havisham]] in ''[[Great Expectations]]'': at Royal Shakespeare Company (Stratford, 6 December 2005).<ref>Royal Shakespeare Company Archive Catalogue at calm.shakespeare.org.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2011.</ref>

===Later film and television===
[[File:Siân Phillips in "Crossing Borders".jpg|thumb|upright|Phillips at [[Wilton's Music Hall]] in London in 2011]]
Her long career has included many films and television programmes, but she is perhaps best known for starring as [[Livia]] in the popular [[BBC]] adaptation of [[Robert Graves]]'s novel ''[[I, Claudius (TV series)|I, Claudius]]'' ([[BBC Two|BBC2]], 1976), for which she won the 1977 [[British Academy Television Award for Best Actress|BAFTA Television Award for Best Actress]], and for many appearances on the original run of ''[[Call My Bluff (UK game show)|Call My Bluff]]''. She also appeared opposite her then-husband Peter O'Toole and [[Richard Burton]] in [[Becket (1964 film)|''Becket'']] (1964); as Ursula Mossbank in the musical film ''[[Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969 film)|Goodbye, Mr. Chips]]'' (1969), again starring O'Toole; once more opposite O'Toole in ''[[Murphy's War]]'' (1971); as [[Emmeline Pankhurst]] in the TV mini-series ''[[Shoulder to Shoulder]]'' (1974); as [[Clementine Churchill]] in Southern Television's ''[[Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years]]'' (1981) starring [[Robert Hardy]]; as Lady Ann, the unfaithful wife of [[Alec Guinness]]'s character [[George Smiley]], in the [[BBC One|BBC1]] [[espionage]] dramas ''[[Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (TV series)|Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy]]'' (1979) and ''[[Smiley's People (TV series)|Smiley's People]]'' (1982), adapted from [[John le Carré]]'s eponymous novels; in ''[[Nijinsky (film)|Nijinsky]]'' (1980); and as the queen Cassiopeia in ''[[Clash of the Titans (1981 film)|Clash of the Titans]]'' (1981).

Another popular role was that of the [[Bene Gesserit|Reverend Mother]] [[Gaius Helen Mohiam]] in [[David Lynch]]'s ''[[Dune (1984 film)|Dune]]'' (1984) and Charal from ''[[Ewoks: The Battle for Endor]]'' (1985). She also appeared in seasons 2 and 4 (1998 and 2000) of the Canadian TV series ''[[La Femme Nikita (TV series)|La Femme Nikita]]'' as Adrian, the renegade founder of the powerful Section One anti-terrorist organisation. In 2001, she appeared as herself in ''[[Lily Savage's Blankety Blank]]''.<ref name="blanketyblank">{{Cite episode |series=[[Lily Savage's Blankety Blank]] |airdate=25 March 2001 |network=[[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]}}</ref> and in ''[[Ballykissangel]]'' as faith healer Consuela Dunphy in Episode 7 ('One Born Every Minute' or 'Getting Better All the Time'). Her most recent film is ''[[The Gigolos]]'' (2006) by Richard Bracewell, in which she played Lady James. In 2010, she appeared in ''[[New Tricks]]'' in the episode "Coming out Ball" and in 2011 she appeared in the episode "Wild Justice" in the fifth season of the television series ''[[Lewis (TV series)|Lewis]]''. In 2017, she played Lady Yvette Bristow in the TV series ''[[Strike (TV series)|Strike]]''. In 2022, she appeared in the series ''[[McDonald & Dodds]]''. In 2024, Phillips portrayed Enid Meadows in the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' episode "[[73 Yards]]".<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Griffin|first1=Louise|title=Doctor Who casts legendary British actress for new season |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-sian-phillips-cast-newsupdate/ |date=28 March 2024|access-date=31 May 2024|website=Radio Times |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-25 |title=BBC One - Doctor Who, Season 1, 73 Yards |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001zpzs |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref>

===Other work===
Phillips's [[West End theatre|West End]] credits include ''[[Marlene (musical)|Marlene]]'' (in which she portrayed [[Marlene Dietrich]]), ''[[Pal Joey (musical)|Pal Joey]]'', ''[[Gigi (musical)|Gigi]]'' and ''[[A Little Night Music]]''. She has also appeared on the American stage in ''Marlene''.

Her National Theatre performances have included playing the roles of Lady Britomart in ''[[Major Barbara]]'' at the [[Lyttelton Theatre]] (18 October 1982, opening night); Madam Armfeldt in ''[[A Little Night Music]]'' at the [[Olivier Theatre]] (18 September 1995, opening night); Hope in ''In Bed With Magritte'' (1 December 1995, opening night);<ref>National Theatre: Archive Catalogue at worthing.nationaltheatre.org.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2011.</ref> and Madame Neilsen in "[[Les Blancs]]" at the Olivier Theatre in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/apr/03/les-blancs-review-national-theatre-lorraine-hansberry |title=Les Blancs review – revolution so real you can smell it |date=3 April 2016 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

She provided spoken-word backing to a track on [[Rufus Wainwright]]'s 2007 album ''[[Release the Stars]]'' and appeared live with him at the [[Old Vic Theatre]] in London on 31 May/1 June 2007. In 2009 Phillips starred in London's West End production of ''[[Calendar Girls]]''. Phillips played Juliet opposite [[Michael Byrne (actor)|Michael Byrne]]'s Romeo in ''Juliet and her Romeo'' at the [[Bristol Old Vic]] from 10 March to 24 April 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/walesarts/2010/03/sian_phillips_juliet_and_her_romeo.html |title=BBC – Wales Arts: Siân Phillips to star as Shakespeare's Juliet |work=bbc.co.uk |access-date=7 March 2016}}</ref>

In January 2011, she appeared in a new cabaret show, ''Crossing Borders'', at [[Wilton's Music Hall]] in London. One review said: "Her cabaret shows are always of the more traditional type. She's had a long and very impressive career, and her show followed its progression, with backstage anecdotes about the people she's met and worked with along the way. It may not be edgy, but it's a truly delightful evening, by a truly delightful performer, in a truly delightful venue."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://archive.cabaretscenes.org/cabaret_reviews/2011/jan11/phillips_sian_1-11.html |title=Cabaret Scenes Review – Sian Phillips |first=Harold |last=Sanditen |website=archive.cabaretscenes.org}}</ref>

In 2015, she played the lead character [[Fania Fénelon]] in the [[Arthur Miller]] stage version of ''[[Playing for Time (film)|Playing for Time]]'' at [[Sheffield Theatres]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-features/11474752/Sian-Phillips-Saying-yes-to-work-is-just-a-way-of-life.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-features/11474752/Sian-Phillips-Saying-yes-to-work-is-just-a-way-of-life.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Siân Phillips: 'Saying yes to work is just a way of life' |last=Rees |first=Jasper |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=17 March 2015 |access-date=28 December 2017 |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 2024, Phillips reflected on her life and career, for the first time, in ''Siân Phillips at 90'', broadcast on [[BBC One]] on 1 March. The documentary includes Philips recounting, with candour, the difficulties in the later part of her marriage to O'Toole, which culminated in the ultimatum that she should leave the family home, without their two children, within the space of four hours.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001ww4q/sian-phillips-at-90|title=Siân Phillips at 90|via=www.bbc.co.uk |quote=O'Toole made my life impossible. He dragged the court case on for three years and in the end it was all over. And I didn't ask for anything. He kept all my jewellery, everything, and the art, what little art I possessed there, he kept everything, and my furniture. And I just started all over again.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001ww4q|title=BBC One - Siân Phillips at 90|website=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nation.cymru/culture/sian-phillips-at-90-to-air-on-bbc-on-saint-davids-day/|title='Siân Phillips at 90' to air on BBC on Saint David's Day|first=Stephen|last=Price|date=21 February 2024|website=Nation.Cymru}}</ref>